The rocky road to adulthood

American Demographics, May, 1996 by Marcia Mogelonsky

MAKING A PLAN

When a college education became the norm for a large share of American women and men, the deferral of adulthood began. People got married later, had children later, bought homes later, and started careers later. In the 1990s, a sluggish economy has caused this delay to spread to noncollege youth. It is also increasingly common to go to school while living at home. Forty-four percent of fulltime freshmen attending two-year colleges in fall 1995 were living at home, according to the American Freshman Study.

Even after young people have finished their schooling, they are not always ready to tackle the challenge of jobs and families. They are creating a new phase of life between dependent childhood and independent adulthood. And they're often doing it on purpose. "Many of the students I work with are planning to return home after college," says Rebecca Haddo "It's not viewed as a last resort. It's part of a plan."

Finding a good job and an existing career has become an elusive goal for many recent graduates. The slowing economy of the 1980s and early 1990s, the trend toward downsizing, and the sheer number of not-ready-to-retire baby boomers make for long lines at career placement offices. For many, living at home is the solution.

Some graduates defer job searches altogether and return to their parents to prepare for an independent future But most spend the time actively looking for work, just as earlier generation of college graduates did. The difference lies in what they do with the money they earn.

"I tend to divide those planning to move home into two groups - the planners and the strugglers," says Haddock "The planners - who are most often men - expect to go home, the rational being that they are planning to get married and raise families of their own in the future. What better way is there to get out of debt and save for the future? Living at home cuts down on spending and encourages saving."

"I found a job right after college, but I didn't see the point of moving out," says Joseph Cassano. "I had a serious girlfriend who also lived at home. I knew we were going to get married. I didn't see the point in moving twice - once just to be on my own, and a second time after I got married."

Even if they don't hit the career track right away, most young adults living at home are working at some sort of job. "Almost all of the young adults I have interviewed were employed while living at home," says Brown University sociology professor Lynne Davidman. "Only about half were contributing to the household. Those who had been away and then moved back home were more likely to contribute by paying rent or making some other household contribution. But those who had never lived on their own usually didn't pay into the household, even if they were employed."

Young adults who live at home and work, but don't help pay for utilities, mortgage, or food bills often seem to have more discretionary income than their parents do. "The mean income of working live-at-home young adults I surveyed was about $17,000," says Davidman. Some buy new sport-utility vehicles and expensive stereo systems, but others spend the money elsewhere.